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Detachable Soft Actuators with Tunable Stiffness Based on Wire Jamming

Authors :
Long Bai
Hao Yan
Jiafeng Li
Jiefeng Shan
Penghao Hou
Source :
Applied Sciences; Volume 12; Issue 7; Pages: 3582
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2022.

Abstract

The integration of variable stiffness materials and structures into soft robots is a popular trend, allowing soft robots to switch between soft and rigid states in different situations. This concept combines the advantages of rigid mechanisms and soft robots, resulting in not only excellent flexibility but also tunable stiffness for high load capacity and fast and precise operation. Here, a stiffness-tunable soft actuator based on wire/fiber jamming structure is proposed, where the fiber-reinforced soft actuator is responsible for the bending motion, and the jamming structure acts as a stiffness-tunable layer controlled by vacuum pressure. The primary design objective of this study is to fabricate a jamming structure with wide-range stiffness, universal adaptability and high dexterity. Thus, the behaviors of wire/fiber jamming structures with different layouts, materials and wire arrangements are analyzed, and a theoretical model is developed to predict the effect of geometric parameters. Experimental characterizations show that the stiffness can be significantly enhanced in the bending direction, while the stiffness is smaller in the torsion direction. Additionally, by integrating Velcro strips into the design, a quick and detachable scheme for the stiffness-tunable soft actuator is achieved. Application examples exhibit high load capacity and good shape adaptability.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20763417
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Applied Sciences; Volume 12; Issue 7; Pages: 3582
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....35b9eb98c3d32cad4bf8310d5b2276a8
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073582